Max Verstappen led Valtteri Bottas by just eight thousandths of a second as Friday practice at Paul Ricard came to an end.
2021 French Grand Prix articles archive
Horner not certain higher tyre pressures will prevent further failures at French GP
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onRed Bull team principal Christian Horner is unsure whether the higher tyres pressures which have been imposed for this weekend’s race will prevent a repeat of the failures which occured in Azerbaijan.
Make your 2021 French Grand Prix predictions
RaceFans Predictions Championship
Posted onEnter your 2021 French Grand Prix predictions to win loads of F1 prizes this weekend.
Live: 2021 French Grand Prix second practice
RaceFans Live
Posted onFollow the 2021 French Grand Prix second practice session on RaceFans Live.
New contract for “top 10 driver” Ocon was an easy decision, says Rossi
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onAlpine CEO Laurent Rossi says it was an easy decision to give Esteban Ocon a new, three-year contract, calling him a “top 10 driver, minimum.”
2021 French Grand Prix practice in pictures
F1 Pictures
Posted onPictures from the first day of practice for the 2021 French Grand Prix.
Bottas leads Mercedes one-two in first practice
2021 French Grand Prix first practice
Posted onValtteri Bottas led a one-two for Mercedes in the first practice session for the French Grand Prix.
McLaren urge FIA to reveal more details over cause of “safety critical” Baku tyre failures
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onMcLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has called on the FIA to reveal more details of the cause of “safety critical” tyre failures in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Live: 2021 French Grand Prix first practice
RaceFans Live
Posted onFollow the 2021 French Grand Prix first practice session on RaceFans Live.
Mission Winnow logos removed from Ferrari’s cars again
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onFerrari sponsor and Marlboro cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris has pulled the logos of its controversial Mission Winnow programme from the team’s cars, citing “mistrust and an abundance of scepticism towards our industry.”
Pirelli increase tyre pressures for French GP and specify new “cooling curves”
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onPirelli has increased the minimum starting tyre pressures for the French Grand Prix and set several new restrictions in line with updated rules which come into force this weekend.
First pictures from the 2021 French Grand Prix weekend
F1 Pictures
Posted onPictures from the build-up to the 2021 French Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso and Nikita Mazepin have traded helmets.
Baku tyre failures caused by lower than expected running pressures, Pirelli confirm
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onMax Verstappen and Lance Stroll’s crashes occured because their tyres were running at lower pressures than expected, say Pirelli.
Russell and Bottas say no decision yet on 2022 Mercedes seats
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onValtteri Bottas and George Russell have denied rumours Mercedes have decided which of them will drive for the team in 2022.
Vettel reluctant to declare total confidence in F1’s tyres
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onSebastian Vettel said he doesn’t have complete confidence in the structural integrity of F1’s tyres following the failures at the previous round in Azerbaijan.
Verstappen and Stroll feel “lucky” tyre failures didn’t cause worse crashes
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onMax Verstappen and Lance Stroll say they were lucky their tyre failures in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix did not cause more serious crashes.
Schumacher expects “harsher consequences” if Mazepin repeats Baku swerve
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onMick Schumacher says his team mate tried to “scare” him in Baku, but Nikita Mazepin insists the incident was a “misunderstanding”.
Hamilton and Bottas swap chassis ahead of French Grand Prix
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onValtteri Bottas will use a different chassis for the French Grand Prix, but he says the change is not related to his poor result at the last race.
Verstappen: Pirelli “cannot put the blame on us” over Baku tyre failures
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onMax Verstappen has insisted neither Red Bull nor Aston Martin are to blame for the tyre failures he and Lance Stroll suffered during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton: Pirelli not to blame for Verstappen and Stroll’s tyre failures
2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onLewis Hamilton says Pirelli were not to blame for the failures which put two drivers out of the last race in Baku, and called for F1’s new tyre restrictions to be aggressively enforced.